CO129-220 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1885 [1-3] — Page 200

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be made upon the subject to... "the Home Government. Whatever ea

cargo private firms carry in their ships on the China seas under present circumstances, they carry entirely at their own

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risk.

"In connection with this

question I may point out that

"it is of the utmost importance

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that Government should not

give any legal opinion to private firms upon questions of this Kind; otherwise it may find itself

itself involved in responsibilities,

dangerous

"1. To the Belligerents, for acts,

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which (though harmless

international point

from

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an

long as they

of view so long.

are

distinctly the acts of private

〃

persons only and done- -without Government sanction or connivance), might, if a

تم کو

#f

they

were done under the positive sanction and advice

a

of Government, form proper subject of complaint